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Hi all,

This is my first post.  I'm putting together a Stew Mac dread kit.  When I went to dry clamp the back to the sides, there was literally no dome on the upper bout.  Turns out the agle on the neck block to back plate was approx 4 degrees.  So, I made a mahogany shim and sanded again.  Now I have a beautiful dome; upper and lower bout.  However....questions...so many questions.  I'm caught between moving forward and gluing vs. contacting Stew Mac and asking for a replacement neck block...don't think replacing neck blocks is a common repair, but what the heck?  Better to do it now if that's what I have to do.  I used LMI White to glue the shim, and can redo with HG if there's a risk for creep at this joint.  Thoughts or comments on what I should do would be greatly appreciated.

Here's a pick...hopefully you can see the shim...

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Stuart Brunker

Given the rather large mating surface, i really doubt it can creep. Mahog also has pores that are now filled with glue.

They would send you a new block with no problems I guess, but think you'll wait 1 week more, and removing the block will be a bit of a very big pain.

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Build log

Thanks, Alex.

I'm anxiously ready to attach the back and desire neither the wait, nor the do over.  I just wanted to make sure I wasn't thinking too far outside the box, so to speak.

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Stuart Brunker

You will be fine with the shim.  I have done it a couple of times with no ill affects. 

I'm glad to hear this has been done before...I was really prepared to hear "What were you thinking???"  :-)

Stu

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Stuart Brunker

Thanks, Todd and Hesh.

Yep, the blurb is still there in the instructions...I did have to find my own cardboard because they pre-cut the two pieces they shipped so that they already fit around the end blocks inside the guitar...not much help for that step.  The top sides of the neck and tail block ended up just about flush and square, but, it left a full 16th of an inch of side material above the blocks to be sanded off the back side.  I probably could have sanded the back then to get everything back to flush, but I followed directions and didn't sand anything until after the linings were in.  Several hours and lots of strips of 80 grit later (my back is still sore), I thought I was ready to go, and then this.  The line I had marked down the center of the neck block never went away, so I know I didn't sand it away ...guess that should have been my first clue.  Anyway....I certainly could have done something wrong, but I still don't see where it was.  With everything dry clamped, I now have 1.5 degrees on the top and 5 on the back.  I'm still about 1/16 deeper than the 3 7/8 and 4 7/8 on their blueprint, but have just about given up on trying to sand my way to perfection in the absence of a hollow form and a radius dish.  I do think their sanding board is ingenious...just a whole lot of work.

stu

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Stuart Brunker

Thanks, Hesh.  I'm looking forward to finishing this one so I can talk my wife into some honest to goodness power tools.

Stu

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Stuart Brunker

On occasions Ive shimmed up a spanish foot on my classicals and never had any problems with the shim creeping. I did use Titebond I but with the LMI white I dont think youre going to have any problems.

Thanks, Martin.  And, again, thanks to everyone who replied.  I'm going to go ahead and close the box today.  For this first one, it feels a little like I'm closing a time capsule.  I really enjoyed writing my name backwards inside the top (always the little things with me).  :-)

Stuart Brunker

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Stuart Brunker

I 'shimmed' my first guitar's head block like that. Still fine several years down the line.

Thanks, Mattia.  My confidence is certainly growing that I'll be able to say the same someday.

Stu

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Stuart Brunker

Where would the world be without shims?

Yep, I've done that too, more than once... It'll be fine!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin